Capitals lineup tonight: Washington’s projected lineup for Game 5 against the Montreal Canadiens | Stanley Cup Playoffs, Round 1, April 30, 2025

On Wednesday, the Washington Capitals will look to close out their first-round series against the Montreal Canadiens at home. After jumping out to an early series lead with wins in games one (April 21) and two (April 23), the Capitals dropped Game 3 (Friday) on the road before bouncing back with a big 5-2 win in Game 4 on Sunday.

With the series back in Washington, the team will look to defend home ice and punch its ticket to the second round. During the regular season, the Capitals posted a 26-9-6 record at home, while the Habs were 17-19-5 on the road.

With a chance for Washington to close things out at home and the Habs looking to play spoiler, Game 5 is poised to produce fireworks.

Washington Capitals projected lines

Note: Lines subject to change

Forwards

1. Alex Ovechkin - Dylan Strome - Anthony Beauvillier
2. Connor McMichael - Pierre-Luc Dubois - Tom Wilson
3. Andrew Mangiapane - Lars Eller - Ryan Leonard
4. Brandon Duhaime - Nic Dowd - Taylor Raddysh

Defense

1. Jakob Chychrun - John Carlson
2. Matt Roy - Rasmus Sandin
3. Alexander Alexeyev - Trevor Van Riemsdyk

Goalies

1. Logan Thompson
2. Charlie Lindgren

Powerplay

1. Tom Wilson, Dylan Strome, Jakob Chychrun, Alex Ovechkin, John Carlson
2. Andrew Mangiapane, Connor McMichael, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Alex Ovechkin, Rasmus Sandin

Penalty kill

1. Nic Dowd, Brandon Duhaime, Trevor Van Riemsdyk, John Carlson
2. Lars Eller, Tom Wilson, Alexander Alexeyev, Matt Roy

Washington Capitals' potential path to Stanley Cup finals and latest betting odds

With a win on Wednesday, the Washington Capitals will eliminate the Montreal Canadiens and punch their ticket to the second round of the NHL playoffs, where they'll face the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Hurricanes advanced to the second round with a 4-1 series win over the New Jersey Devils and became the first team to clinch a spot in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Carolina is also the betting favorite to win this year's Stanley Cup. On FanDuel, the team has +400 odds, followed by the Florida Panthers at +470 odds.

Despite entering the postseason as one of the best teams in the East, the Capitals are seventh with +1200 odds, behind the Winnipeg Jets, Toronto Maple Leafs and Vegas Golden Knights.